hi … no … nothing’s wrong

things have changed in my and I have many challenges here just to get to the computer each day lol … so I’m not online as much as I was before the surgery

at any rate, I wanted to touch on purgatory …
from what I understand … Jesus’ Blood and ultimate Sacrifice reconciled us back to God … without that, we’d have had no way to even be considered able to enter heaven at some point.
When we sin, confession/reconciliation cleans up our souls again (as long as we’re honestly sorry and resolve to try with all that’s in us not to do that sin again), however … payment for that sin (even though it’s FORGIVEN) must be made … God is JUST and His Justice calls for payment … so even though the sin is forgiven, we must make good for it … purgatory does this … ‘nothing imperfect may enter into Heaven’ … purgatory purifies and makes us perfect for eternity in Heaven
As far as the TRUTH goes … I studied for a long long time and had many conversations with many different ministers, priests, rabi’s, etc. … so even though i was a cradle catholic, I’m really more of a “convert” after more than 20 yrs of searching
I think the nutshell version is this:
Jesus started a Church when He was here … He started it with 12 men. He taught them, He prayed with and for them. He made one the leader - (Simon) Peter. For almost 1500 years things were the same; one fold, one leader … and for about 1100 or so years … one Bible. (The Bible was first compiled in about the year 400 when the Roman Emperor, Constantine publicly condoned Christianity. There was only one Christianity at the time; which painstakingly compiled the books into the Bible … we know them today as the Roman Catholic Church.)
Around 1500, Martin Luther (a catholic monk), thought that the Church had been wrong in some things for all that time (Particularly about ‘working your way to heaven’ -as HE phrased it- by doing things for others and penance, which he, unfortunately, took out of context.), so he (and a group of folks; about a third) left the Church, changed the Bible (removed some of the books) to support their beliefs and ‘protested’ (Hence … Protestants). (I can’t help but shudder when I think of the warnings the Bible gives for anyone changing it in any way!!!) It was discovered since, that one of the strongest reasons Luthor went against the Pope and left the True Church was to marry a nun! Not many folks know this!
In all fairness, another reason Luther was angry was that rich folks began ‘buying’ indulgences. Not that the Church was ‘selling’ them, some rich gave large donations and thought this ensured they were ‘covered’. Unfortunately an indulgence isn’t valid or binding unless all the usual conditions are met (confession, praying for the Pope, Communion etc.). So their money bought them nothing. I’m not quite sure why Luther blamed the Pope for this and the Church itself. As many others have left the Church, I believe it had more to do with sexuality than anything else.
Anyway, since then, there has been a growing number of different Protestant denominations throughout the world; all from that one break only 500 years ago. But there is still only one Roman Catholic religion, with the Mass as it was in the days of the catacombs. Divide and conquer??
Satan knows us very well. He also knows it’s profitable to him if he tells 99% truth, to get in his 1% of lies. I don’t believe the folks that split from the Church were bad … obviously, their Faith was weak and they were searching. Satan saw his “in” and grabbed it. I believe these folks honestly believed that they were doing as God wished. This is not meant to discredit the Protestants in any way. However, we DO pray that they reunite to the Catholic Church so that they may have the fullness of TRUTH that is only found in Catholicism.
So … if Luther didn’t break away (but I’m sure someone else would have eventually, cuz satan would be pushing for it) … then every Christian would be Catholic

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here’s a link to a video:
starkvisions.com/again/modules/news/article.php?storyid=314